Where to Hunt
Conservation Areas
The Department of Conservation provides managed waterfowl hunting on 15 conservation areas. These areas are intensively managed to provide waterfowl with much needed resources during spring and fall migrations. The Department limits the number of parties on these areas to give hunters an opportunity for a quality hunt.
Hunters can apply for a reservation each year beginning in early September or by attending a morning drawing. Some of these areas have permanent blinds, and others provide opportunity for hunters to wade in or hunt from layout boats or boat blinds. Most have disabled-accessible blinds. Additional information about Missouri’s managed waterfowl hunting can be found on the MDC Waterfowl Reservation System page.
River and Reservoir Blinds
The Department holds a drawing every other year for approximately 90 blind sites on the Mississippi River in St. Charles, Lincoln, and Pike counties. Successful applicants are required to build a blind that meets safety standards and are allowed to keep the blind for two years. Other hunters may hunt from these blinds if they are not occupied by 6:00 a.m.
In addition, many of the reservoirs managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (COE) have annual drawings for blind locations or a time when hunters are allowed to claim blind locations for the upcoming fall. In many of these locations, hunters also are able to hunt from unoccupied sites after a certain time. For more details, call the COE office at the reservoir you want to hunt.
Open Hunting on Public Land
For the person willing to scout, Missouri’s rivers, reservoirs, streams, and ponds offer additional duck hunting opportunity. Duck use on these habitats is less consistent than on managed areas and depends on local water and weather conditions. The Conservation Atlas provides information about all of the land managed by the Department, including maps, regulations, and availability of waterfowl hunting. Habitat ranges from permanent water found in small ponds and lakes to wetlands that have water in only wet years.
